The Anchorage School Board welcomes public comment on agenda and non-agenda items. The board values public comment as it both ensures that the board remains aware of public thoughts, ideas and concerns as well as informs members’ decision-making.

Testimony in-person on non-action items will be accepted at the beginning and end of the Regular Session. Testimony on action items will be available as the items appear on the agenda. You may sign up to testify in person or telephonically, on an agenda item or other topic not on the agenda. Speaking time is limited to three minutes. You may not sign up other individuals to testify.

School board meetings are held at the ASD Education Center, 5530 E Northern Lights Blvd., unless otherwise noted. An assistive listening system is available for use in the school board meeting room. To obtain headsets and information, call 907-742-4312.

Sign Up to Testify In Person

If you would like to sign up to testify, please do so by 1 p.m. on the day of the regular board meeting. If you miss this deadline, you may sign up in person just prior to the start of the board meeting.

You will be asked to provide your name, phone number and agenda item(s) or topic of your testimony. Please also indicate if you will need an accommodation.

Sign Up to Testify Telephonically

Early sign-up is required in order to accommodate telephonic testimony, please do so by 5 p.m. on the Friday preceding the meeting. Contact may be made in the same manner identified above except that mail must be received by the Friday before the meeting.

How telephonic testimony occurs

The school board secretary will call the person on the number provided. Once the connection is made, testimony will occur through a speaker device that permits the school board and those in attendance to hear the testimony.

Persons testifying will be connected immediately preceding the testimony and the call will be terminated at the end of each person’s allotted time. Individuals are encouraged to watch the regular board meeting live on ASD-TV online or municipal cable channel 9 prior to their testimony.

No more than two attempts will be made to reach the speaker at the number provided. One attempt will be made to contact a speaker if the call is dropped during the speaker’s testimony.

It is the responsibility of the person testifying to ensure that the testimony can be heard and is free of background noise and distraction. If testimony is inaudible or contains distracting noise, music, or voices, the call will be terminated.

About Testifying

The school board does not hear complaints against students or personnel in public session.

The board secretary maintains a list of persons wishing to speak to the board. The list (without telephone numbers) may be distributed to the board, the superintendent, administrative staff, and any media just prior to the regular meeting. Persons are added to the list in the order they sign-up at the board meeting.

Individual speakers are limited to three minutes per person as time allows; if there are a large number of speakers, time may be reduced at the discretion of the board. If a person wishes to testify on multiple items, there will be a six minute maximum for each person.

It is not the board’s practice to answer questions or engage in discussion with members of the public during testimony; this is the public’s time to speak and the board’s time to listen. The board will consider all information shared by the public, and when necessary issues will be referred to the administration for follow up.

The names of persons testifying are recorded in the minutes as part of the official record of the meeting.